Bottle-cleaning machine.



PATENTED APR. 18, 1905.

L. SCHAPER.

BOTTLE CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLIUATION FILED SEPT.10. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

INVENTOR L. Schafer.

ATTORNEY PATENTED APR. 18, 1905.

L. SGHAFER.

BOTTLE CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.10, 1904.

2 SHEETSSHEE T 2.

l/VVEA/TUR L. Schafer.

vfwu/ Arm/mm WITNESSES:

Patented April 18, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS SCHAFER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

BOTTLE-CLEANING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 787,858, dated April 18, 1905.

Application filed September 10, 1904. Serial No. 223.950.

To all lr/wm if may concern/.-

Be it known that I, LOUIS Sonarnn, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Bottle-Cleaning Machine. of which the following is such a full, clear, and exact description as will enable any one skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a bottle-cleaning machine which will clean both the exterior and interior of the bottle at one operation and which will also clean the groove or crease in the neck of the bottle adjacent to the mouth thereof. This groove or crease is formed in the bottle in order to provide a locking-shoulder for engagement with the form of fasteningdevice known as the Crown seal, and which is in general use for bottles holding carbonated beverages.

in the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one form of bottlecleaning machine made in accordance with my invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view. Fig. 3 is a top plan view. Fig. 4. is a sectional view showing slight modifications. Fig. 5 is an enlarged section on the line 5 5 of 3; and Fig. 6 is an end view.

Like marks of reference refer to similar parts in the several views of the drawings.

The frame of the machine consists o f a base 10 and uprights ll, carrying bearings 12. J ournaled in the bearings 12 is the shaft 13, on which are mounted loose and tight pulleys 1 t and '15, respectively. In the end of the shaft 13 is an opening 16, in which is removably secured a rod 17, carrying a spiral brush or other suitable cleaning device 18 for cleaning the interior of the bottle. The rod 17 is also provided at its end with a brush or other suitable cleaning device 19 for cleaning the bottom of the bottle and the edge or crease formed by the conjunction of the bottom and the inner face of the bottle.

22 is a cylindrical member which is rigidly secured to the shaft 13 some distance from its end. This member 22 may be secured by means of a set-screw 23 or in any other suitable manner. Removably secured to the member 22 by means of bolts or screws is are a pair of arms These arms 25 are so shaped as to cooperate with the outer side of the bottle and are supplied with a suitable cleaning device, which may either be a brush 26, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6, or it maybe a scraping device, such as a sheet of rubber 2?. (Shown in Fig. l.) The outer ends of the arms 25 are connected by an annular guard 28, which prevents the hands of the operator from coming in contact with the arms This guard 28 is preferably rounded on its inner face, as shown in Fig. 2, and may either be left perfectly smooth, as shown in this ligure, or it may be supplied with brushes 29,115 shown in Fig. I. These brushes being flexible will not injure the hands of the operator if they should come in contact therewith. As has been previously described, the arms 25 are made removable. The object of this is to supply the machine with two or more sets of arms of different length carrying guards 28 of different sizes, so that various sizes of bottles may be accommodated. I find in practice that two sizes of arms and guards are sutlicient to accommodate all sizes of bottles which are usually used for carbonated beverages.

The member 22 in addition to carrying the arms 25, hereinbefore described, also carries a pair of pivoted arms 32. In order to allow these arms to be pivoted, the cylindrical member 22 is cut away at the points 33, as best shown in Figs. and 6. These cut-away portions 33 form suitable offsets through which the pivots 3*, Fig. 2, of the arms 32 may pass. The cut-away portions 3 also form flat surfaces against which are secured a pair of springs 35, which bear against the outer ends of the arms 32 and hold them in their normal position. The outer ends of the arms 32 are provided with nuts 36, which secure to the arms a strip 37 of flexible material for cleaning the groove in the neck of the bottle. This strip 3i may be of cord, as shown in the drawings, or it may be of any other suitable flexible material for cleaning the groove in the neck of the bottle. The inner ends of the arms 32 are beveled at 38, as best shown in Fig. 2, and they cooperate with a cylindrical member 39, having an inclined inner face 40. This member 39 is movable longitudinally of the shaft 32, so as to move the arms 32 on their pivots to draw the cord or strip 37 into engagement with the groove in the neck of a bottle. The member 39 is held in its normal position by a coil-spring 4] surrounding the shaft 13 and bearing at one end against the member 39 and at the other against the member 22, hereinbefore described. In order to move the member 39 along the shaft 13 to operate the arms 32, I provide a lever 42. (Best shown in Fig. 3:) This lever 42 has a collar 43 surrounding the shaft 13 and bearing against the rear end of the cylindrical member 39. The lever 42 is pivoted at 44 to a lug 45, carried on one of the uprights 11. The lever 42 is also provided with a handle 46. It will be evident that by grasping the handle 46 and moving it toward the front of the machine the member 43 will be moved along the shaft 13 and will thus operate the arms 32.

47, Figs. 2and 5, represents the bottle, the neck of which is provided with a groove 48 for engagement with the locking device of a crown seal.

In the operation of my machine the shaft 13 is rotated by means of the pulley 15. The bottle is placed over the central rod 17, as shown in the full lines in Fig. 2. After the bottle has been placed in this position it is moved to one side, as shown in dotted lines in the said figure. This will cause the brushes 18 on the rod 17 to bear firmly against the inside of the bottle, and the brush 19 at the same time will enter the crease between the inner face of the bottom and sides. At the same time the brush 26 on the arms 25 will be caused to bear firmly against the outside of the bottle. As all these brushes are rapidly revolving, they will thoroughly clean the bottle. In order to insure cleaning of all sides of the bottle, it is given a rotary motion. It can then be brought back to the position shown in full lines and withdrawn. Either before or after giving the rotary motion to the bottle the handle 46 is grasped and drawn forward. This will cause the rear ends of the arms 32 to be forced together by the inclined face 40 of the cylindrical member 39, and consequently the outer ends will be thrown apart, as shown in Fig. 5, so as to draw the strip 27 firmly into engagement with the groove 48, and as the strip is rapidly revolving it will thoroughly clean this groove of the rust and dirt which lodges therein.

As has been hereinbefore described, different sizes of bottles may be cleaned by using different lengths of rod 17 and arms 25, both of which are removable.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a bottle-cleaning machine, the combination with a holder, of a pliable cleaning device carried by said holder and adapted to engage With the groove in the neck of a bottle, and means for causing relative rotary movement between said cleaning device and a bottle.

2. In a bottle-cleaning machine, the combination with a holder, of a pliable cleaning device carried by said holder, means for moving said cleaning device into engagement with the groove in the neck of a bottle, and means for causing relative rotary movement between said cleaning device and a bottle.

3. In a bottle-cleaning machine, the combination with a holder, of a strip of pliable material carried by said holder and adapted to engage with the groove in the neck of a bottle, and means for causing relative rotary movement between said strip and a bottle.

4. In a bottle-cleaning machine, the combination with a holder, of a strip of flexible material carried by said holder, means for moving said strip into engagement with the groovein the neck of a bottle, and means for causing relative rotary movement between said strip and a bottle.

5. In a bottle-cleaning machine, the combination with a pair of separable arms, of a strip of flexible material carried by said arms and adapted to engage with the groove in the neck of a bottle, and means for causing relative r0- tary movement between said arms and abottle.

6. In a bottle-cleaning machine, the combination with a pair of pivoted arms, of astrip of flexible material carried by said arms, means for separating the ends of said arms to bring said strip into engagement with the groove in the neck of a bottle, and means for causing relative rotary movement between said arms and a bottle.

7. In a bottle-cleaning machine, the combination with a pair of pivoted arms provided with bevels at one end, of a strip of flexible material secured to the opposite ends of said arms, a member cooperating with said beveled ends to separate the opposite ends of the arms and bring said flexible strip into engagement with the groove in the neck of a bottle, and means for causing relative rotary movement between said arms and a bottle.

8. In a bottle-cleaning machine, the combination with a pair of pivoted arms, of a strip of pliable material carried by said arms, means for rotating said arms, operating mechanism rotatable with said arms and adapted to separate the same to bring said strip into engagement with the groove in the neck of a bottle, and a non-rotary member for actuating said operating mechanism.

9. In a bottle-cleaning machine, the combination with a pair of. pivoted arms provided with bevels at one end, of a strip of pliable material secured to the opposite ends of said arms, means for rotating said arms, a member rotatable with said arms and cooperating with the beveled ends thereof to separate the opposite ends and bring said pliable strip into engagement with the groove in the neck of a bottle, and a non-rotary member for actuating said member.

10. In a bottle-cleaning machine, the combination with a rotary member, of a cleaning device carried by said member and adapted to enter the interior of a bottle, arms carried by said member and provided with cleaning devices adapted to engage with the exterior of the bottle, an annular guard carried by said arms, and a cleaning device carried by said guard.

ii. In a bottle-cleaning machine, the combination with means for cleaning the interior of a bottle. of means for cleaning the exterior of a bottle, and a device for cleaning the groove in the neck of a bottle.

12. In a bottle-cleaning machine, the combination with means for cleaning the interior of a bottle. of means for cleaning the exterior of a bottle, a holder, a strip of flexible material carried by said holder and adapted to engage with the groove in the neck of a bottle, and means for causing relative rotary movement between said strip and a bottle.

13. ln a bottle-cleaning machine, the combination with a spindle, of means for rotating said spindle, a cleaning device carried by said spindle and adapted to engage with the groove in the neck of a bottle, and a member movable longitudinal of said spindle for actuating said cleaning device.

M. In a bottle-cleaning machine, the combination with a spindle, of means for rotating said spindle, a cleaning device carried by said spindle and adapted to engage with the groove in the neck of a bottle, a member movable longitudinal of said spindle for actuating said cleaning device, and a spring holding said member in normal position.

15. In a bottle-cleaning machine, the combination with 111 ans for cleaning the interior of a bottle, of means for cleaning the exterior of a bottle, a pair of pivoted arms provided with bevels at one end, a strip of flexible material secured to the opposite ends of said arms, and a member cooperating with said beveled ends to separate the opposite ends of said arms and bring said flexible strip into engagement with the groove in the neck of a bottle, and means for causing relative rotary movement between said arms and a bottle.

in testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and atlixed my seal in the presence of the two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS SUHAFER. n s] lVitnesses:

\V. A. ALEXANDER, .l). G. BE'IJMMAN. 

